The third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) will take place in Nice from 9 to 13 June 2025. The draft final declaration is already on the table. If the participants do not fundamentally improve it, the crisis of the world’s oceans will worsen.

In March 2023, UN member states agreed on a global ocean treaty to protect the oceans. Among other things, it provides the basis for the protection of 30% of the high seas by 2030 (30x30). But only a fraction of the countries have ratified the treaty. 190 delegations are expected to attend the third UN Ocean Conference.   

The present draft no longer contains any tangible safeguards.

“Shocking,” “politically weak,” “governments are not serious about protecting the oceans,” said Megan Randles, head of the delegation of Greenpeace International. The draft Nice Final Declaration should send a strong signal. But it is not. Unlike previous versions, it no longer contains tangible protection measures. There is no indication of the urgency of ratifying the Ocean Treaty. It will not enter into force until at least 60 countries have ratified it. Greenpeace also criticizes the “wretchedly weak wording on deep-sea mining,” the omission of the precautionary principle, and the lack of receivables to reduce plastic production.

Beautiful words are not enough

Iris Menn, a marine biologist and executive director of Greenpeace Switzerland, says: “The draft Nice declaration makes it clear that participants are content with fine words. Among other things, they also disregard the rights and leadership of coastal communities and indigenous peoples. If the declaration is not fundamentally improved, the UN Ocean Conference will become a meaningless debating club.”

According to the Federal Office for the Environment, ratification in Switzerland will not be possible until the end of 2026/beginning of 2027 at the earliest. However, a parliamentary decision is required.

OceanCare hands over petition to UN special envoy

Another 114,559 people are calling for the protection of the oceans. On World Oceans Day, OceanCare presented its petition “Because Our Planet Is Blue” to Peter Thomson, the UN’s Special Envoy for the Oceans. Along with 114,559 signatures from around the world, Fabienne McLellan presented the ambassador with a symbolic gift: a globe with red oceans, highlighting the menacing state of the blue planet. The petition calls for decisive action against the ongoing crisis of the oceans. The petition sends a clear message to the global community: Governments must move from declarations of intent to concrete action to restore the health of the oceans.

Receivables addressing the causes of marine destruction

The petition formulates six key demands that address the causes of marine destruction: an end to offshore oil and gas exploration, mandatory speed limits for vessels to protect marine life, a ban on destructive fishing practices such as bottom trawling, comprehensive regulations against plastic pollution, a moratorium on deep-sea mining, and effective protection and restoration of marine habitats.

OceanCare will monitor the negotiations in Nice and assess whether the conference produces the reforms needed to tackle the maritime crisis and meet the expectations of the many thousands of people who are demanding change.